Iris' Rosehill Cottage gives the impression of being charmingly flung together but take another look. The palette is just as tight as Amanda's. Cream and Blue-grey with the odd touch of raspberry.

You all know what a fan I am of restricting the colour's in your home for a gorgeous, cohesive whole. These houses perfectly demonstrate how well the concept works.

Secondly, in both houses, Nancy Meyer has chosen a theme and stuck to it. Consistency is her middle name. There's nothing in either house that stick out. Nothing Country in the Modern house and nothing Modern in the Country house.

The two homes are an incredible contrast: one is the essence of English cottage style and the other seems to be the epitome of spacious, calm American Modern.

Both are utterly gorgeous, to be sure. Modern and Country: both span what I love, as Modern Country is my favourite, don't you know. ;-)

Let's take another snizz at The Holiday houses, shall we?

The living rooms in each could not be more different.

The Holiday Cottage is a pretty good size compared to the rest of Iris' home, though, of course, it fades into insignificance compared to the American house - can you say 'It's gimongous'?

Woooooah! It's huuuuuuuge!

But here's a secret:

I find it hard not to imagine all American houses like this!

Yes, it's true. *blush*

I was talking to an American about how I naively think of all Americans living on ranches. She completely and adamantly denied it...but on further quizzing from me, it turned out SHE lived on a 50-acre ranch! So my utterly unfounded stereotype remains unchanged!

But, anyway, back to the case in point. I can't believe how much space Amanda has. Acres and acres of roomage.

I love the spacious airiness of Amanda's home but if I had to plump for one, this time it would be Iris' Cottage. I love the softness of the room. Much more of a 'kick-off-your-heels-and-slop-around-on-the-sofa' room, which suits me down to the ground.

And don't get me started on the Rosehill Cottage fireplace. I love it!

I know woodburners are all the rage, and they are, it's true, a zillion times more effiecient than alternatives, yet, still, I cannot resist the primeval lure of the open fire.

The only thing I might have done very differently is this odd extra sofa in the back corner. I would have thought that being so short on space, it would be more usefully employed as a study area.

But, minor niggles aside, this is one room that wins hands down for me.

Monday, 21 November 2011

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE character in houses, it provides warmth like nothing else but would I choose Rosehill Cottage's squeezily small bathwhen I could have that incredible room in Amanda's American house?

No.

Just look at those incredible storage cupboards.

All those fluffy white towels.

The view.

The space.

I adore that bathroom.

So why do I keep coming back to the English Country bathroom at Rosehill Cottage?

The sloping ceiling;

the hideously dangerous wall lamp

{gotta love English eccentrics and our crazy electrics....

though I should point out it's completely illegal}

the pewter finish of the roll top bath,

those taps.

However, there's no two ways about it.

I am a stretch-out-in-the-bath girl.

There's just no way I could put up with that itty-bitty bath.

A veritable dilemma.

Never fear, though, I have a plan.

We can turn the bath sideways along the sloping wall.

I do realise that the comedy moment of Cameron Diaz squished into the teeny tiny bath would be gone but I think we can live without the laffs for the sake of a full sized tub to fill with copious amounts of deliciously-scented bubbles.

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